To Our Friends and Politicians

... not necessarily one and the same!

Dear Patricia,

Thanks for waiting patiently, friend.  I've had your email in my inbox since February, but as you can see, I'm behind on many things in email-land and the blog-o-sphere.  I really appreciated your comments (and was indeed convicted by some of them) and appreciate your friendship even more!

Much love,

Ch

Dear FBFs (Facebook Friends, ha ha ha!),

Thanks for your comments on my status.  I appreciate you rising to my controversial bait :) and really appreciate everyone's thoughts on the matter.  Yes, our two party system sucks, and I agree that I am not happy about the Democratic platform on the Freedom of Choice Act.  It makes me very sad.  

Having said that, the reason I voted for Obama in this election (aha!  People have been trying to figure out for whom I voted) can be broken down into three main thoughts: 1. legislation does not necessarily equal change, 2. I don't believe that the Bible defines the "least of these" as only the unborn, and 3. I agree more with the overall Democratic party platform than I do with the overall Republican party platform.  I'll explain more below.

Legislation does not necessarily equal change-- 

If Roe v. Wade were suddenly overturned, if Plan B (the "morning-after pill") were taken off the market, and if several other good things happened for the Pro-Life  movement, would the abortion problem be solved?  Would there be less abortions?  Perhaps.  But would these precious unborn children suddenly be given a chance for life?  The problem of abortion doesn't stop once the mother decides not to/is unable to get an abortion.  Even if the mother didn't seek out an illegal (and even more dangerous) abortion, what happens when the baby is born?  Where is the Pro-Life movement once that child needs healthcare, housing, sustenance, etc.?  Overturning Roe v. Wade would merely be the beginning of the "fight for life," not the end.  It would be cruel and ignorant to create a "culture of life" and then pat ourselves on the backs and call it a day because we saved unborn children from death in the womb... not thinking about their certainty or quality of life once they left it. 

And practically speaking, I didn't think McCain would be able to overturn Roe v. Wade.  So even if that was the only thing I were to vote on, I feel my vote would have been wasted.  It's not that I'm Pro-Choice (although I used to be), it's that I don't think there necessarily is a one-to-one correlation between my vote and little lives being saved.  I think that with such a charged issue, there are other ways for me to celebrate and protect life.  

I don't believe that the Bible defines the "least of these" as only the unborn--

In one of my earlier posts (hyperlinked above) about politics and religion, I mentioned the command to take care of the "least of these" (Matthew 25), as well instructions on what is "pure and faultless religion" (James 1).  In context, these passages are about the hungry, the thirsty, the outcast, the imprisoned, widows, orphans, and those without basic needs (Patricia reminded me that that doesn't mean it isn't referring to the unborn--thank you, Patricia, for speaking that truth to me!).  Where we as a church fall short, I feel that the Democratic platform addresses those issues more than the Republican platform does.  Yes, we believers need to get our backsides in gear and not leave it up to the government.  But I was raised to believe that some things need to happen at a national level for systemic change (i.e. "big government").  That is something that we may have to agree to disagree on.  :)  I say all this to say that my interpretation of the Bible is that abortion is only a part of what we are called to care about here on earth.  

 

I agree more with the overall Democratic party platform than I do with the overall Republican party platform-- 

I pretty much made this point above, but let me just conclude with the thought that while Jesus was neither a Republican nor a Democrat, he did care about political systems and he did weep for Jerusalem's pitiful state.  I feel that the things the Holy Spirit has called me to care about are better addressed by the Democratic platform (representing the poor and the middle-class), but I know a lot of you who have the same convictions and have been called to address these issues within a Republican framework.  The point is not so much who we vote for, but that we vote and then go out and be a part of the change/reform we desire.  Christ is making things right and new in the here and now, and he's using pitiful us to do it.

Thanks for listening, dear friends!

Love,

Your mouthy, opinionated, bleeding-heart Liberal FBF.  :)

Dear President Bush,

One of your loyal supporters, Amy, reminded me that I haven't been very respectful of your office for the past 4 years (even though I voted for you then--which is another discussion entirely!).  I apologize.  Thank you for being our President.  I haven't much agreed with you lately, but if I were in your shoes, I would have crawled under the bed and refused to come out long ago.  I need to remember the pressure you're under and respect you for that.  You aren't Jesus, but you are our President.  I'm praying for you.

Respectfully,

A Concerned Citizen Who Voted for You.

Dear President-Elect Obama,

I'm excited that another barrier of race has been broken.  I also appreciate a Democratic candidate who is willing to claim Christianity (don't get me started on John Kerry).  I'm excited to see the change that will come during your term, and I have high hopes for our economy, foreign policy, and environmental stance.  That said, your support of the Freedom of Choice Act makes me very, very sad.  And it makes me sad that it doesn't bother you.  Please reconsider. Please pray about it!  I cast my vote for you not just because of your stance on issues, but also because I think you have what it takes to lead this country.  You aren't Jesus, but you are our President.  I'm praying for you.

Respectfully,

A Concerned Citizen Who Voted for You.

To Whom it May Concern

Dear Reader,

I really enjoyed the letter writing format on the "Panera Girls" post. So I think I'll try to do that from now on. There is much to tell about from the past month or so (the promised MPJ show review is finally here!), and I think this medium will lend itself to my particular brand of quirkiness quite nicely.

I'm not sure what that last sentence was about, but it sounded good.
ish.

Thanks for reading, friends!
Love,
Ch


Dear Teenybopper Band that Opened for Matthew Perryman Jones,

I give you an A for effort. It certainly wasn't a boring show. It was just very... contrived. Your stage decorations were weird--the empty wall frames wrapped in colored icicle lights might have been clever, but the fact that you wore T-shirts that matched them was just too much. Not to mention that although the lead singer/keyboardist's red shirt was an exact match for the red thingie, the guitarist's green shirt was also a good match to the green thingie, and the drummer's yellow shirt matched nicely with the yellow thingie, the bassist's teal shirt was NOT a good match with the blue frame-light-thingie. If you're going to be cute, please be consistent!

And I admit, I liked your song the first time I heard it. The second time you played it (oh, was that supposed to be a new song? Really?), it was okay. By the fifth time you had played your song, though, I could have quite calmly beaten you with your super-cool Vans. Or scratched your face off with the lenses from your hipster glasses. Or smacked you with your nearly empty can of hair product. There is only so much dramatic chord-banging, meaningful pauses and angsty high notes that one person can take. Well, one person out of puberty, anyway.

You asked me to go to your MySpace page. Something about "Musical Parachutes." You also asked me to tell my friends about you. Although I won't be adding you as my TOP FRIEND on MySpace, I will tell my friends. It's the least I can do.

And what will I tell them? That if Ben Folds, Dave Matthews (minus the band), Jack Johnson, and Lars Ulrich all had an orgy... 9 months later, we would be able to RAWK OUT to your fabulous sounds. Congratulations, it's a... boy(band)!

Oh, and keep drinking tall cans of "Old Milwaukee" on stage. That is so clever, and shows all the teenage groupies that you are cool like that.

Yes. Cool. Like. That.

Thanks for the memories,
The married couple who laughed a lot at the table in house right.


Dear Matthew Perryman Jones,

An hour? That's all we got to hear from you? That, my friend, was NOT ENOUGH. And since there was another act coming on, I couldn't even holler for an encore. I was glad that Smith's Old Bar is here in Midtown, just down the road, but it's not my favorite venue. There's none of the intimacy of Eddie's Attic nor audience attentiveness of a church setting, but it was loud enough that I could shamelessly sing along for some of the songs. I certainly did behave myself during quieter numbers like "Meghan's Song." Speaking of your lovely wife Meghan, good for you for wearing your wedding ring on stage. It may have made playing your guitar a little more difficult, but we're proud of you for making that subtle little statement. Good for you and for your family.

It must be hard to leave your family so often, but we sure appreciate it. I don't remember your exact setlist (and I'm not sure how Team Redd always manages to remember the setlists of every show they see), but I do remember it was a great show, and all too short. It was great to see you with a full band! I especially dug the sounds on "Echoes of Eden" and "Waiting for the Light to Change."

Shame none of your shirts matched the decor, though.

Thanks for coming by to say hello to us. It's fun being your groupie. Maybe one of these days I'll be shameless and ask you to take a picture with us for my Facebook profile. After all, I did with NT Wright!

Much love,
The Atlanta transplants who always hope you'll do "Machine-gun Love."


Dearest Kennan,

You're my favorite person ever. I had so much fun at the MPJ show with you, celebrating our 7 year wedding anniversary a little early. Hard to believe it's been 7 years! I'd say that evening pretty much summed up our entire marriage: lots of laughter and fun, sweet times, and just a little squabbling. :)

Thanks for letting me be your number one groupie, dear.

Always your,
Ch

To the Girls in Panera

Dear College Beauty Queens,

I can hear every word you say. I'm here, minding my own business, trying to get work done. And while I have accomplished a lot this afternoon, I must take a break now to tell you some things.

I don't care about your sex life. Really, no one else in this restaurant does. So if you could lower your voice a little, that would be great.

I also don't care about your new haircut, your problems with your boyfriends, or your most embarrassing moment. Seriously. I stopped reading Seventeen over a decade ago.

It's true that you're cute, skinny, and well dressed. Congratulations. If I had lots of money and time on my hands, I might look pretty fabulous, too. But let me tell you now, that without drastic measures, your looks will not last. After your metabolism slows down, your "freshman fifteen" catches up with you, and you deal with disappointments, a sedentary lifestyle, and pregnancies, your cute little backsides will enlarge. Even if you remain disciplined and go to the gym everyday, leaving your children with the nanny, some things are inevitable. I guess you'd better find a plastic surgeon that you like now.

And speaking of pregnancies and children, if you aren't supposed to tell anybody about Justin getting "that slut" pregnant, then why are you? I realize that someone ending up with a new life growing inside of them is a novelty and feels light-years away for you, but it isn't for everybody. I don't want to hear all the juicy details about someone getting to see a little fragile heartbeat because of an accident that they can't wait to move on from. While I agree that
she shouldn't be drinking caffeine and alcohol and she should be taking better care of herself, I don't think I'm bothered for the same reasons you are. I know you don't understand why this hurts me. I know it's just a weird thing that's interesting to talk about. I just wish you didn't talk so loudly.

And for all that I find you annoying, I have to say that I hope you don't ever understand. I hope that you will never have first hand knowledge of the sting that accompanies life after losing a child. But it would be nice if you understood what other people are going through because you're aware that they exist. And if I hear the movie Juno quoted one more time, I will scream. Right here in the middle of Panera.

It "ain't no etch-a-sketch," it's true. But just because you can't undo it (at least, not without a doctor's help and a lifetime of guilt), doesn't mean it isn't sometimes undone. As though it never happened, leaving just an empty space behind.

My tirade is done now, and I'll put in some headphones or something and get back to work. I just wanted to let you know. I wish someone had told me when I was 20. Because I'm sure I annoyed many an innocent restaurant patron with my drama, too.

Have fun in the Bahamas. I hear it's nice there. And I agree--you probably do look best in the black shorts. Happy first day of summer, girls.

Love,
The woman by the window with the laptop.

This post was brought to you by the letters C and O for "cranky" and "old"...
and the number 30.

Somehow, I got Old part II

Three decades. Really? I do indeed feel old.

Mehhhh! When I was your age...

Happy Sacrifice Day

I meant to post this yesterday, but I'm really behind on posting these days...

Finally, a video set to Mercy Me's "I Can Only Imagine" that isn't sappy or stupid. In fact, it's amazing. A true picture of a perfect father's love reflected by an earthly father.

Father's Day isn't easy for us this year. We are so grateful that my dad is healthy, and that Kennan's dad is on the road to a full recovery. Still, it's hard, knowing what we had and lost. It's hard to trust in our heavenly father, but we're determined to cling to grace.

The video really sums it up. Sacrifice. That was the point. Christ didn't just come to be good (and he was indeed perfect!) and then call it a day. God didn't just give his son to come hang out with us sinners and then move on. He made the sacrifice to let his son--part of the perfect, holy, triune God--come and make the ultimate sacrifice. Unlike with Abraham, there was no ram caught in the thorns to take the place of Isaac. Rather, we are Isaac, and Christ took our place. Willingly. In my book, the words "father" and "sacrifice" should be interchangeable, and I've seen that reflected in many men around me, Kennan foremost.

So, Happy Father's Day to our fathers, our friends who are and will be fathers, and those that have been like fathers to us. And Happy Sacrifice Day to all, for whom the greatest sacrifice was made.

I'll post about the MPJ concert, drive-in movies, Indelible Grace concert, etc. etc. (it's been a packed couple of weeks!) soon, I promise.

I Heart Hyperlinks...

and parenthesis.

That is all.

Wise Words on Church Membership

I love being in the PCA. After the mayhem of being in a congregationalist church for so long (WHY oh WHY does everyone need to vote on what color wallpaper should be in the ladies' room?), I have been quite happy--though I may not have always found it easy--to put myself under the authority of our church leaders and to seek the "peace and purity" of the church local and global.

I've become terribly brainwashed. I like being "reformed," (a neo-Calvinist, even--gasp!) I like having deacons and elders, and ones who answer to a presbytery. We own a copy of Hymns II, prefer the ESV over the NIV, and catch ourselves almost saying "Thanks be to God" when we visit our church back in NM. So there's your caveat. This article was written for a PCA audience, and as such, comes at the subject of church membership from a very specific angle. It does, however, address issues that plague a variety of churches with differing styles of government. And it's written by one of my favorite people. Walter left ChristChurch to plant a church on the Westside, which is so awesome. I heart a church planting (as opposed to mega-church) model... but that's another post.

I really liked the points he made about being stretched by church membership to bond with and love on people whom we don't have a natural link with. What else would I have in common with a 65 year old southern man but a common love for Jesus? And to be perfectly frank, why else would I choose to spend time with someone so different from me other than that Christ has asked it of me? I am reminded of my privilege and obligation to do so by our common membership in a local church body, and it helps that the local church body also has healthy structures and mechanisms to assist me in this pursuit. If left to my own motivations and devices, my natural instinct is not nearly so gracious or willing to take risks.

It's also a natural response to say, "what about caring for those outside of the church?" whether from thoughtful motives or a stubborn desire to disagree. I think that creates a false dichotomy because the two are not mutually exclusive. Rather, one flows naturally from the other. Being stretched in learning to love those that we don't naturally gravitate to results in developing good habits. And especially if this happens in the context of a healthy church that has a heart for service and outreach, loving the "least of these"--as Christ has called us to do--will be a natural result.

I also thought Walter's points about plugging into an imperfect church were well made. As Groucho Marx said, "I wouldn't want to be part of a club that would have me as a member!" I would add, though, to the statement "the reason a church may appear lacking in some area is because you aren’t yet a part of it!" that I'm glad our church isn't a "perfect fit." Otherwise, it is all too easy for me to turn it into an idol. God has helped me see what is non-negotiable and what isn't, and though I wish we had communion every Sunday (for example), there is no denying the communal heart for the city and the world.

In other thoughts, we got to see MPJ on Friday night, and it was lovely (as always). I'll try to write up a review soon. Get ready for his new album, Swallowing the Sea, due out in August! Whoo hoo!

Oh, and I'm not sure which items from my above PCA-isms list are actually PCA specific. Not only are we new to this denomination, but we also have an Anglican pastor and a Southern Baptist worship director...

Keeping the Faith

Jesus didn't promise sunshine and kittehs. Following him means taking up one's cross daily, and in a sin-stricken world at that. Thankfully, there are companions along the way--family, friends, and websites.

What? Did I just say "websites"?

Oh, did I. The past year has been (as my good friend and coworker Tony would say) a "Praise the Lord/ Lord have Mercy" rollercoaster. Ups and downs. We've had the joy of sharing in celebrating a dear sister (both literally and in the family-of-Christ sense) marrying a wonderful brother. The pain of losing of losing our first child. The overwhelming, chance-of-a-lifetime, wonderful trip to Asia to celebrate the Hwangs' wedding once again, to attend another wedding, and to finally meet up with my birth family. The struggles and frustrations and joys and pressures of our jobs and school. The fear of wondering if Dad Garrett had prostate cancer (he doesn't) and the fear of finding out that Dad Crane was in need of a heart transplant (keep reading). Sharing with so many the joys of marriages and births and careers and adoptions and graduations, and sharing with far too many the grief of deaths and illness and depression and abuse and theological despair.

Through it all, we've clung to our faith in Christ Jesus. How, you ask? (Let's pretend you did ask, okay?)

As I said, through websites. Okay, the primary (and easy) answer, is "by grace." By the gracious, constant presence and protection of the triune God. By community and sharing and crying and counseling and medicines (shocking!) and prayer and reading of the Word (sigh... far too little on those last two!) and pursuing spiritual disciplines and sheer stubborn God-given determination.

How else would we have gotten through the past couple of weeks, in which we traveled to four different cities (Denver/Colorado Springs, Raleigh-Durham, DC, and Houston/Galveston); celebrated/mourned on Mother's Day, pushed through what would have been the due date, attended a conference, freaked out/rejoiced in a donor heart becoming available for Dad Crane, celebrated/freaked out about the graduation (and thus departure) of so many fabulous students, and celebrated Mom Garrett's birthday, all in the same two days?

How? (Sorry, I'm getting there!) By a (growing) understanding of our sinfulness and God's holiness, a desire to see redemption...

... and a weird sense of humor. So I present, for your reading/clicking pleasure, sites that help me examine my faith, laugh at my failings, and praise God for loving us all anyway:

The character who does Bible scenes out of Legos (you have to see it to believe it!) appears not to be a Christian, but in some ways, I'd say he appreciates the Bible more than a lot of Christians I know (probably me included). He does have something of an agenda, though, which is evident in some of his interpretations of the passages. And there's some non-G rated stuff... but that's the Bible for you!

I mentioned the classic, sacrelicious Lark News in a previous post. My new, fabulous find (thanks to Tim and others for showing me the way) is all about Stuff Christians Like. Whoo hoo hoo hoo hoo! Wait. I do that. And that. Oh, and I do that, too! Ouch.

I've also stumbled upon the Wittenburg Door. Yes, they know they spelled it wrong. (No, I didn't know.) It's similar to Lark News, so when I find that I haven't procrastinated quite enough for the day, I head there. Particularly fabulous was the... interview... with NT Wright. (And no, I'm not quite sure if the entire thing is made up or not! Sheesh. Must I admit all my ignorance, all in one post? What will I do in further posts? Make sense?)

I also mentioned Snopes in that previous post. Specifically, if I need to feel superior about how intelligent I am (mostly after I go to the other websites and find that I don't get most of the jokes), I visit the Religion page, or the Glurge Gallery.

There are also several good sites (with less satire, more theological discussions, but still a sense of humor) that Team Redd could no doubt direct you to, that I've visited from time to time. When I really want to stretch myself, though, I go to a website for the "satirical church service for the thinking masses." It's basically a comedy routine that mocks the Western Evangelical church stereotype. These folks are not Christians, and I doubt they've ever met a Christian they liked, much less respected. While I could probably never attend a "service" (show), because even my irreverent self would probably get offended and "prove" their point that Christians are fun-haters, the website sure makes me think. About what I take for granted, what I practice and preach, and where I get distracted from Jesus and focus too much on me and "my" church.

And when I really need to get back to basics, I go here. Because I'm oh-so-pious... and a little bit of a tech geek.

Praise the Lord... Lord have Mercy!